A large crab that looked to have been taken down stood before him and he knew instantly that Sakura had been the one to deliver the final blow. Glancing over at his former teammate, he gave a smirk and watched her cheeks warm. He looked away when he felt a pair of eyes on him and immediately went back to looking at the crab, taking in the action that he missed when dealing with Toneri. However, he also thought back to his conversation with Sakura before the mission, discussing that they would both need to move on. Sakura had been understanding and had thus kept her distance from him, but he knew feelings couldn't fade that quickly. She had held on for him for a very long time.
It bothered him to know what could have been, but glancing back at Hinata who was talking with Neji, he needed to be better for her. Soon after, they made their way on what seemed like overly large branches inside the cave. Shikamaru and Neji led the way, Sai and Sakura following, leaving Sasuke and Hinata in the rear. He noticed she looked lost and he frowned, feeling that there was something she wasn't telling him. Sasuke decided to shake it off as possibly her worry over Hanabi and looked forward as they continued up. At the end of whatever branch-like thing they were on was an opening, the light bright and nearly blinding in comparison to the dark cave they had been in for what seemed like hours.
"What in the world is this place?" Shikamaru asked as they all stood on what appeared to be a cliff overlooking an endless ocean.
Clouds littered the sky as the sun glared down at them from above, the blue sky seemed to match the ocean around them. In the distance appeared to be land, but Sasuke couldn't be sure what they would find. Then he looked up and paused, noticing that there seemed to be an island floating in the sky. Checking underneath to make sure it wasn't covered by clouds, he realized what he was looking at was indeed a floating island. Using his rinnegan, he realized that the area was entirely man-made.
"Appears that the surface of the ocean is warped, making it appear to be a floating island. Which would mean that this entire area is artificial." Sasuke stated.
"That would explain why the sun is underground." Sakura chimed in, also looking up at the island.
They soon made their way toward the area on the birds Sai created, the sky eventually beginning to turn shades of orange and pink to mimic a sunset. Shikamaru called out to Hinata, asking if she could sense anything with her byakugan shortly, having asked between both she and Neji for some time. So far, neither of them had sensed anything during their travels, keeping each shinobi on alert.
"If the enemy knows we are here, why aren't they attacking? This seems weird." Sakura stated, looking around between the trees scattered below them.
"Yeah, that worries me too." Shikamaru responded, continuing to look forward.
They landed in a small clearing a while later, setting up a campsite and opting to not use a fire. The area around them was warm enough to keep them comfortable without it. Shikamaru, Sai, Sakura, and Neji laid on the ground near the tent, attempting to rest up before their shift and before continuing on the mission. Sasuke had decided to sit in a tree, leaning his back against the trunk of a tree and stretching his legs out. Mindlessly, he tapped the hilt of his sword with his index finger, the movement calming and keeping him focused on the task at hand. It was then he noticed movement and looked to see Hinata heading down a path by herself, holding something in her hands.
Frowning, he decided to silently follow her, knowing that his main goal was to make sure that Toneri wasn't able to get to her. He found her entering a different clearing a good distance away and kept himself out of her sight on a tree nearby, looking down at her from where he squatted. He found her setting her bag down and pulling out the red scarf, continuing to crochet it while sitting on a rock in the middle of the clearing. Sasuke wondered why she continued to work on it when he knew it was for Naruto. A feeling in his chest caused him to glare not directly at her but in general as he knew Naruto had feelings for her. He had no doubt that she still cared for him in a similar way that he cared for Sakura. However, something about watching her work on the scarf bothered him. What did she plan to do once she gave it to him? When Naruto returned her feelings, what would her plan be then? They were married by a contract and he doubted her family would let her end the marriage. However, he also wondered if they would and that caused him to frown at the thought.
He didn't hold romantic feelings for her, but he found that he did care about her and saw her as a good friend. They had been training together and while he knew he was strict and didn't want to see her growth, he knew she had. Her cooking was amazing and when it was just the two of them, they shared stories and he had found that he liked her laugh. It was obvious that she came from a regal family the moment she covered her mouth each time she laughed. Only once was she too busy clutching the couch, tears pouring as she laughed at a story from his childhood. The memory caused him to quirk his lips up in a tiny smile before they went back to being a straight line.
The next day, they made their way further on the island, Neji calling out that there was a village in the distance, so they made their way there. As they flew, Hinata looked up at Sasuke and saw what black hair wasn't pinned down by his wrapped was slightly waving in the breeze. When his face shifted slightly toward the left, she could see the purple of his rinnegan in her view, which always seemed to catch her attention. She immediately looked away before he would catch her staring, feeling her cheeks slightly heat up from embarrassment at the idea. She continued looking around as they neared, trying to avoid the possibility that he may have caught her.
"It looks abandoned!" Hinata called out as they managed to make their way there, flying over buildings that looked to have aged without being cared for.
"This town was built centuries ago. Let's split up and take a closer look!" Shikamaru responded as they made their way to an area to land.
A bit later, Sasuke and Hinata were in one of the abandoned buildings, Sasuke seeing what looked to be skeletons. He frowned, curious if there had possibly been a war that caused the village to disappear, but also took note that this had to be man-made, so wondered just how much was real. He then heard Hinata's cries from behind him and immediately ran toward her, turning a corner and seeing Hinata at the bottom of stairs, seeming to have walked straight into a cobweb. She was sitting on the ground, attempting to remove it when Sasuke slowly walked toward her, a smirk evident on his face.
"All seeing eyes, huh?" He teased, watching her pause and look up at him with a pout on her face.
He reached up, helping her to remove what was left of the cobweb stuck to her hair, the sticky strings he flung toward the floor each time he managed to get some out. Hinata sat still as he continued to pull the offending stuff out her hair, Hinata fighting a blush that creeped up at their closeness as he focused on her. He stood, holding his hand out to her to help her up. She took his hand, feeling his strength was a bit more than she expected. With a surprise gasp she ended up falling forward right into him, her hands on his chest to stop herself. She felt his hand move from her own hands to her arm, his fingers encircling her to keep her steady. Hinata looked up at him and her eyes widened at seeing that they were much closer than earlier. Murmuring an apology, she took a few steps back and they both left the building and noticed stairs to their left.
Sasuke led the way, Hinata following close behind, also feeling confused by what had just happened. He knew he was overthinking the situation as she still held feelings for Naruto, but he began to realize that perhaps what he was feeling was what many would call a 'crush'. Whatever the hell that meant. As they got to the top, he saw a fountain that seemed to have clear drinking water. Hinata reached it first, diving her hands into it and taking a sip, her eyes closed as she did so. He found himself watching her for a moment. Then she did so again, this time holding it up to him and he realized she was taking note of the fact he only had one hand. He leaned down to accept and watched her cheeks turn pink, but knew she was merely just shy and didn't think much of it.
They continued on, Hinata using her byakugan to check buildings and Sasuke found himself watching her, which seemed to make her self conscious. He looked the other way instead, giving her a chance to feel more at ease. Sasuke decided using the top of the buildings to look around would be best to get a better view. Hinata agreed and so they made their way to the top, Sasuke leaping over the large gap between two and waiting for Hinata to follow. She too a leap, but managed to land on the edge, the stone giving way and he leaned down to grasp her hand, catching her in time. Pulling her up, he overcompensated and they both took a tumble. Hinata giggled and Sasuked grunted in response, standing up and offering his hand again. He didn't pull her up as hard and so she was able to stand up perfectly fine, but their hands lingered a bit too long and she jerked it back quickly.
A path they ended up taking a little later was heavily shaded and he noticed that goosebumps rose on her arms. Frowning, he took off his poncho and placed it over her, watching her pause her step, eyes wide as she looked up at him. He had to admit that it seemed off as it was worn out and she was far from looking like someone who would wear something like that. She looked down, as if trying to find the words and he watched her slowly look up at him, no color on her cheeks, but instead a smile.
"Thank you, Sasuke-kun."
He nodded in response and they continued on, not seeing any signs of anyone, including the enemy. Sasuke wondered where they were hiding and what Toneri planned, though he had a feeling his goal was not to harm Hinata. As time had gone on, they decided to venture into a building to camp out and eat. Hinata had brought ramen, which reminded Sasuke of Naruto and he frowned, but they heated it up and ate silently. She looked uncertain and he raised a brow at her.
"Do you want your poncho back?" Hinata asked, shifting slightly.
"No, you can wear it as long as you need it." He responded, going back to his meal and seeing a soft smile grace her features.
She nodded and then managed to knock her knee into her bag, Hanabi's kunai fell out and clattered on the floor. It landed a few feet away, yet the pain radiating off Hinata was overwhelming. He glanced at it, knowing that he'd feel the same way had this been Itachi, and he had a feeling Itachi would feel the same. He turned toward her to see the pain in her eyes as they focused squarely on the kunai.
"Let's go." He said to her, seeing her look over at him before nodding.
"Wait…" Hinata said after a few seconds.
"What is it?"
"I need to tell you about what Toneri's puppet said to me after he knocked you in the water." Hinata began before they both looked to see Sai standing in the doorway.
"Ah, there you two are." Sai said, giving them a smile before turning his full attention toward Hinata. "There is something we need you and Neji to check out."
They both packed up and followed Sai, both forgetting about the conversation at hand. They ended up in front of a statue that none of them recognized. Shikamaru read out the inscription that he had found. Ancient oath, crossing the path of humanity, just as all else. The fist of the reborn moon, the Tensei Eye will destroy mankind. From there they found another wall, this time with an intricate design and what Sasuke felt was similar to an eye, which fit the inscription.
"I wonder if this Tensei Eye is what is making the moon move." Shikamaru stated aloud, holding up the lantern he held upward to get a better look at the wall before them.
"So, Kakashi Sensei's hunch was correct in that Hanabi and the moon are connected." Neji responded, also looking up at it.
"His hunches are usually correct." Sasuke stated, his dojutsu activated, but he couldn't tell if anything seemed out of place or not.
"Byakugan Princess." A voice stated just before an earthquake began.
Sakura jumped back in time for the floor beneath her to cave in and a set of stairs to take its place. They all looked at each other, but knew that they had to continue on if they had plans of saving the planet. So, they each made their way down slowly, making sure to avoid any further traps as they did so. As they reached the bottom, Neji walked forward with his own lantern along with Shikamaru. What appeared to be round caskets lined most of the room, which led Shikamaru to wonder if this was a crypt of some kind. He then moved his lantern over an area that looked like something had disturbed the coffin, the lid removed and something hanging out of it.
"Someone's here!" Hinata called out, catching everyone's attention immediately.
Shikamaru turned in time to see a very pale man, eyes closed, long hair going past his shoulders making his way toward them. He had a mustache and beard and was wearing what appeared to be a white burial robe. As the man moved forward, Shikamaru moved backward back towards them, eyes wide as he did so.
"It's the byakugan! I can sense the byakugan!" The man said, his voice eerily raspy. "Yes! I'm certain of it. Byakugan Princess!"
Sasuke instantly moved in front of Hinata to block her from his view just as Sai did the same with Neji. However, Sasuke noticed that the man seemed to have his face facing Hinata and he had a feeling he was sensing the fact that she came from the main family. His dojutsu reactivated, preparing to fight whatever this man was. Just as he did so, the man's eyes opened, revealing that he had empty sockets that startled many of them. Then the man began to groan, falling on the floor before them. He sat up long enough to open his mouth, a large, bright sphere coming out of it that caused the man's jaws to open in a way that no normal human could. Once it came out, the man went limp and the sphere came to rest a few feet above the floor right in front of Sasuke. Then light exploded around them from the sphere, blinding each of them. When it disappeared, he felt Hinata move behind him and Sasuke turned in time to catch her in his arm before she hit the ground.
Sasuke turned toward the man, "what's wrong with her?"
The man stood, "the Tenseigan has been… revived."
As he stated it, the bright sphere went back through his chest, disappearing as it did so. Suddenly his head fell off and his entire body seemed to disintegrate right before their eyes. His body laid motionless on the ground, a liquid of some kind pouring out of him and slowly making its way toward them.
"It has to be stopped or the Otsutsuki will…"
He never finished his statement and Neji ran over to check on Hinata as her eyes fluttered open. Everyone circled around but her eyes focused on Sasuke and he looked down at her, watching her regain enough awareness before standing her up. She was clinging to his shirt from underneath the poncho as she blinked a few more times. Once her hands let go, he helped her to stand, holding onto her arm through his poncho to make sure she was okay before they made their way out.
"That man said 'Otsutsuki', that's the surname of the Sage of Six Paths." Shikamaru stated once they were outside of the crypt.
"Hagoromo Otsutsuki was the Sage of Six Path's name before he began teaching ninshu, the shinobi creed." Sai added as they began to walk back towards the abandoned village.
At this point nighttime had fallen and they found a small area to pause at as they continued to figure out what everything meant. Sasuke and Hinata left the group and made a camp for the night in one of the abandoned rooms. Sasuke sat against one of the walls, knee bent as he rested his right arm on it, eyes closed. The sound of Hinata's crochet needles occasionally clinking together was the only sound between them at that moment.
"Hinata, what did Toneri talk to you about earlier?" Sasuke finally asked, opening an eye slightly to look over at her.
Hinata paused, a frown on her face. "Oh, that. It's nothing. If it's okay, I'd just like to be alone right now."
Sasuke raised a brow at her, wondering what changed and curious what happened to cause her to faint. What did she say that would suddenly make her change her mind? He stood up, dusting himself off before leaving the room, giving her the space she asked for. He went into another room, he set the lantern he picked up down and sat along another wall, still hearing the sound of her crochet needles clinking. She seemed to be focused, but his mind wandered to what exactly happened that caused her entire demeanor to change.
They were flying along, having left the village earlier in the day and her silence was deafening. Sasuke didn't mind silence, rather he enjoyed it, but this was different. He was used to Hinata being naturally quiet, but she seemed lost and far away. He had tried to prod her a few times, but she refused to budge and so he gave her space as they made their way to a different village. Flying along, they landed and looked around once more for signs of anything that could help them to find the location of this castle and Hanabi. As they made their way around, Hinata was several feet behind him, refusing to get closer. Sasuke took notice but decided not to say anything about it and let her figure things out on her own. He led them around until they came to a walkway. He turned and stood behind a low wall, seeing several trees in the distance including one that appeared to be on the tallest hill in the distance.
He stared at the tree, knowing that Hanabi wasn't here and taking a break was needed. A moment later, the wind began to blow, the cool breeze helping to cool them off from the warmth of the village. Sasuke turned to look at Hinata and saw the wind blowing her hair around, but she ignored it, looking off into the distance. He took note of her long lashes as they fluttered above her pale eyes. Her straight nose and full lips gave her the ethereal look that many would read about in romantic novels. Sasuke found himself staring at her, taking in her beauty and not realizing just how appealing she was. Something was off about her and part of him knew he had not been a good person to her.
"Hinata." Sasuke heard himself say a moment later, watching to see if she would even react.
He watched her shift, eyes glancing in his direction, but didn't meet his eye. He had her attention at the very least, but felt unsure of how to proceed. He turned to her fully, noting that she continued to stare at the tree ahead, lost in thoughts that he wish he had any idea about. Sasuke knew that Hinata was thinking about her sister, knowing that he'd be the same way if Itachi or even Naruto had been in this same position. Yet, he couldn't shake the idea that there was something else going on that she wasn't telling him.
"What are you keeping from me?"
Hinata gasped, eyes widening a bit and she then turned toward him, lips slightly opened in surprise. Bingo. He knew that he had her and most likely had her wondering if he could read her mind in some way. He watched her tongue dart out, moistening her lips before pinching them together, eyes closing halfway as she considered his question. Sasuke reached out, his right hand laying on her shoulder, watching her face jerk back up to look at his face, confusion evident on her face. He never really attempted any sort of physical contact with her unless needed.
"Hinata, I know I haven't been the best person to you when you didn't deserve it. Let me make it right and tell me what's going on. There's something you're not telling me."
"Toneri…" Hinata started, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "He told me that in order to save Hanabi-chan, I need to marry him. That when he comes for me I need to go with him or else he would kill her. I'm sorry Sasuke-kun, but I can't take the chance that he would harm her if I don't."
Sasuke nodded, realizing that he had to have threatened her the moment he was pushed into the water. Closing his eyes, his fingers clenched around her shoulder, his mind moving quickly to come up with a solid plan. They needed to be on the moon and so she would need to have the ability to help guide them there. He knew what he would need to do, but the area they were in didn't give him many options. He knew there was a forest not far from where they were and opted to utilize it instead. It would allow for Toneri to think he had won while also being able to keep tabs on Hinata and find a way to where Toneri was. Knowing he would need to get together with the others to inform them, he first needed to put his plan into action.
"I'm going to need you to trust me, but I have an idea."
A/N: Thank you for the continued follows and reviews! I'm getting to a point of changing my story from the movie more than just Sasuke taking Naruto's place. Hopefully I give it the love it deserves going forward.
Tnkstar - I'm glad you enjoyed it and hope this one was good, too!
LaCrazyWriter - This comment was hands down my favorite and I won't apologize for it. Lol
I-Love-Trunks - I'm glad you are still enjoying it and that those parts stuck out to you the most! Curious which ones you like in this one!
Huaniri35 - I'm sooo glad I'm not alone in that! I really found that to just be wild given that tailed beasts were supposed to be immune and so Naruto is immune for that reason. I do wonder if Kurama just knew what it would lead to and allowed it to happen, but I feel like that gives them a bit more credit in that regard. So, I went with having Sasuke only be affected for a moment by the scarf as it did merge both Hinata and Naruto's genjutsu moments together. Figured that would be a fun way for him to witness that moment that I went with.
LuvHina - Thank you for bringing this to my attention! I rewrote that a bit more so hopefully it answers the question and makes more sense to you in context? As it was more to mean that his family would continue and thus bring about our main villain in the story. I realized how it read when I went back after your review and was like "OH!" Lol. Thank you again. I just changed it to say the name of the villain rather than "himself", if that helps in case you don't want to go back to read it. So it should read that Kei had a child that would create the Hyuga line for Masaru Hyuga to be born.
Username365 - I found your review interesting, but also leaves a lot to be desired. I'm content if you dislike the story or how I'm portraying the characters. And I appreciate you bringing to attention that Sasuke comes across as misogynistic in how he reacts to Hinata as that is something I can go back through at a different time and rework as needed. It's definitely not my intention to make him come across that way. Also, I apologize if Sakura is written poorly as well. I do feel if you have feelings for someone, intention to be with them, only for a situation like this to happen… It's confusing. And if this comes down to you not reacting in that way, that doesn't mean others wouldn't. Feelings/emotions are hard for many to instantly shut off and aside from instances before he was married, I haven't had him or Sakura do anything that would constitute possible cheating, nor do I plan to. However, if there are parts of the story that do so and I'm just not remembering, please let me know which chapter so I can go over it. I still plan to on my own when I have the time, but I won't say no to extra assistance. To answer that question. As for making the women objects, examples would be great! As those instances I can look into and reword as needed in the future as well. If it's the entire story, then I think that could come down to personal preference and while I'm still good to reread my story and changing things in the future, I'll not ask for further clarification.
However, you coming at me about my poor writing skills I found amusing. I'm a new writer and this is my 2nd/3rd story, so I'm still green when it comes to writing. That said, I don't recall ever claiming I was a great writer by any means. If anything, I'd say at my best I'm subpar. Not that you need to know, but I do have health issues that cause me to repeat myself or further express what I'm trying to say. I find that even in my own personal life I have a hard time articulating what I'm trying to say and do, so I repeat it in case it gets lost in translation. So the fact that you made that comment without knowing me should be a concern to you as you don't know who you are saying it to and why they are doing what they do. Trauma is a big thing that causes people to also react a certain way. Given the fact that there are health reasons behind why I do it and yet you attacked me for it is disappointing. And you are right, my writing sucks, but that doesn't mean that I won't give it a try. And to be honest, your words can do a lot of damage to anyone who has mental health issues. While I may not be one to be bothered by what you say, I know others who would be. These are people behind the keyboard and whether or not you care how they perceive your words, that isn't up to you to decide. To basically victim blame because you don't think your words should hold meaning is not okay. All that tells me about you is that you want to treat others poorly and put the blame on them if they don't accept it with a smile. It isn't about the reaction people have to you, it's about what you do and say to others. Their reaction is and always will be valid regardless of your personal feelings on the subject. To feel you are in a position to decide how others should take your harsh words is what many would consider abuse. I would like to think that as someone who is against my story due to the misogynistic undertones that you'd want to know how that can come across. Especially as both are terrible in their own way. So, take this as my review for your review and perhaps reconsider how you approach your negative reviews to hold less aggressive tones and consider offering your thoughts on certain aspects of a story positively. You can be a positive person leaving a negative review at the end of the day. And as someone who is going to school others on how their stories are not matching with 2023 in terms of tone, you might want to be the example of being that person. Saying "you may not have meant to, but I did find Sasuke's relationship with Hinata to come across as misogynistic. Examples X and Y are some of them, but chapters A and B hold quite a few. I wanted to let you know in case you wanted to change it!" as opposed to the review you left could make a world of difference while also expressing your concerns about the story. You don't have to even give examples if you so choose. It's up to the writer to determine if they want to change it or not.
Guest - Thank you, but I can assure you that negative reviews don't bother me. My writing and work isn't going to be for everyone and that's okay. I'll always appreciate those who battle for others and I appreciate those who enjoy my writing/stories, too. That said, I promise that battling for me is not always needed, but I will definitely do so for those who allow negative reviews to get to them. Fight for them so that they feel that their writing is meaningful to someone and will want to continue. Negative reviews can be helpful as long as it's helpful and that's when I'll be as happy with those as I am with the positive ones. However, I will call a spade a spade if needed. I don't care nor mind. People can bite back all they want. I had it in my first story too. Lol.